Court reduces Biedronka's fine to PLN 84 million, violation confirmed

The court found that the "100% refund as a voucher" promotion misled customers, but reduced the fine by more than PLN 20 million. The ruling is not final, and UOKiK has announced an appeal.

The Court of Competition and Consumer Protection (SOKiK) this week confirmed that Jeronimo Martins Polska, the owner of the Biedronka chain, had misled consumers during a voucher promotion. The court shared the assessment of the President of UOKiK (the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection) that the violations were intentional. However, it reduced the fine from nearly PLN 105 million to almost PLN 84 million. The ruling was described, among others, by UOKiK (opens in a new tab) and NowyMarketing.

The case concerns two one-day campaigns from early 2024: "Special Wednesday" and "Valentine's Wednesday." In them, the chain advertised a "100% refund as a voucher" for the purchase of selected products. However, the voucher was valid only in specific categories and required minimum spending. According to UOKiK, for chocolate worth PLN 13.99, the customer received a voucher for cosmetics, but could use it only on purchases of at least PLN 29.99. One voucher was available per loyalty card. Evidence in the "Valentine's Wednesday" case showed that the company deliberately failed to state in the advertisement what the voucher could be used for and how much had to be spent to redeem it.

The President of UOKiK issued the fine decision in December 2025, and the company appealed it. The SOKiK ruling is not final, and both parties may file an appeal with the Court of Appeal in Warsaw. UOKiK announced an appeal regarding the amount of the fine, as it considers the original PLN 105 million appropriate. In a statement, Biedronka wrote: "The fact that our arguments were heard and taken into account by an independent court, which changed the original decision issued by the President of UOKiK, we regard as a step in the right direction."

This is another dispute between the company and the authority. The court of first instance had previously upheld a fine of PLN 506 million for abusing contractual advantage over suppliers (the ruling is not final). Cases concerning discrepancies between shelf prices and checkout prices, as well as incorrect labeling of the country of origin of vegetables and fruit, have ended with final rulings, in which the company paid PLN 115 million and PLN 60 million.

For companies running promotions in retail and e-commerce, the reduction of the fine does not change the assessment of the practice itself: spending thresholds, excluded categories, and per-customer limits must be visible in the advertisement already at the time of purchase.